Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for disposing of a slug produced in a hole punching operation on a hollow profile and to a device for carrying out this method.
Description of the Background Art
The prior art discloses, for example in DE 42 02 984 A1, a method for disposing of slugs in the robot-guided laser cutting of holes in thin-walled sheet-metal parts, in which method, before beginning the process of travelling around the hole or slug contour path, the slug to be cut out is provided with a gripping hole, which is produced by burning out by means of a laser beam that does not impinge on the hole contour path and into which a gripping tool is introduced at a point in time at which the gripping hole is accessible for this but the slug has not yet been cut out completely, and the gripping tool keeping hold of the slug until it is deposited in a container.
Furthermore, DE 39 37 460 A1 discloses a method for making openings in a hollow profile by means of a laser device. In order to dispose of the slug produced in the laser cutting process, the hollow profile is flowed through by a bubble-free liquid. The material burned out from the kerf by the laser beam and the slug freed from the outlet opening are caught up in the liquid, cooled down and swept away. The liquid may for example be water. A disadvantage of this method is that, with tapering or slightly curved hollow profiles, there is the risk of the removed slug catching on the tapering part in the hollow profile and consequently not being swept away.